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Supporting our entire health sciences community

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The health sciences thrive on diversity.

Every day, our schools and centers educate professionals to work across Minnesota and around the world. We provide care to patients from diverse backgrounds both at home and abroad. We also conduct research, often working with international partners, aimed at addressing the most pressing global health issues.

Our classrooms, our labs, and our clinical settings are stronger because of the many different cultures and perspectives that come together there. We have colleagues from all parts of the world, representing different cultures and faiths, working side by side to make a difference.

The recent executive order from President Trump around immigration from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen has caused a great deal of confusion and angst as groups struggle to determine how it will play out and who will be effected. This is a fluid situation as the federal courts weigh in and institutions struggle to interpret the order and clarify its impact.

President Kaler recently sent a message about the University’s unwavering support of global engagement, diversity, and inclusion. I want to reiterate this message from a health sciences perspective. We will continue to value and stand in support of all of our faculty, students and staff who come to us from around the world. We can only hope to fulfill our mission through inclusion, equality and teamwork.

We have reached out to leadership across our health sciences schools asking to be informed about any individuals who have been impacted or might feel uncertain in the wake of this executive order. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to my office for support. As President Kaler mentioned, you can also access support through International Student and Scholar Services and University Student Legal Service.

Our schools are stronger because of diversity. We need to look out for our neighbors, support those who are feeling uneasy or unsafe, and stand up for our commitment to be positive global citizens.